Chapter 59: Settling Accounts, Yang Jiale |
In the silent, oppressive law firm, an invisible hand seemed to materialize in the air, tightly gripping his throat.
Sun Hao gasped for air, his forehead slick with cold sweat.
"I..."
The words reached the tip of his tongue, but he didn''t know what to say.
The ledger in front of him felt like a massive mountain pinning him down; struggling against it felt entirely futile.
"You what?"
Director Han''s anger surged. He clenched his right fist, his eyes wide with fury.
"Give me a good explanation. Why did a key trainee lawyer, under your supervision for a full three months, only handle three consultations and one criminal case!?"
Judging by his tone, he was absolutely furious.
Director Han was on the verge of madness. He grabbed the morning newspaper beside him and hurled it right at the pale Sun Hao.
"Look at what you''ve done!!!"
Sun Hao ducked and raised his arms defensively, his fingers catching the newspaper.
He subconsciously glanced at it. Rows of striking, bold black headlines instantly leaped into his vision.
[Outrage! Deadwood Plagues Even the Legal Profession! Investigative Reporters Reveal Defense Lawyer in Lijia Village Case Suffered Workplace Bullying, Earning a Mere 3,700 Yuan in Three Months...]
[The Only Boutique Law Firm in Greenwood City? Unworthy of the Name! The Final Shield Before the Law Relies on Nepotism...]
[Exposed: Rising Star Lawyer Forced to Survive on Steamed Buns and Pickles. Photos and Truth Inside, Captured by Our Reporters...]
[...]
In an instant.
Every word struck him like a massive hammer, turning his legs to jelly. Sun Hao collapsed to the floor. Panic soon seized his face as he looked up at Director Han.
"Thud!"
"Cousin... Cousin, I..."
"I didn''t mean to, I really didn''t mean to..."
Director Han had been angry yesterday.
But it was nothing compared to this morning. When he saw the morning paper, he nearly coughed up blood.
Workplace bullying exposed, Xu De forced to leave...
The entire law firm, along with its painstakingly built reputation and public standing, had suffered a devastating blow!
Even the golden lawyers within the firm were caught in the crossfire. Several institutions and companies had unilaterally terminated their honorary consultant contracts with them...
Beyond that.
Recruiting new talent for the firm in the future would be a massive problem!
Put it this way: imagine you were a lawyer looking for a firm to join.
You interview at Jinmao Law Firm, only to discover that even a top-tier lawyer who won the Lijia Village case suffered workplace bullying here, forced to gnaw on steamed buns and pickles for three months... If it were you.
Wouldn''t you run?
"I was wrong... Cousin, I know I was wrong..."
Knowing he couldn''t dodge this, Sun Hao burst into tears. "I''ll go find Lawyer Xu, I''ll apologize to him..."
Apologize?
If apologies were of any use, what would be the point of the law!?
Moreover, could a single apology from you make up for the direct financial losses suffered by so many people in the firm?
Director Han stared at him, his expression unreadable and his thoughts running deep. Chief Zhang, Chief Jin, and the others were also waiting for him to take a stance.
After a long time...
Director Han suddenly spoke out of nowhere:
"You''ve got some nerve. You even dared to embezzle the firm''s public funds!"
Public funds?
Sun Hao was stunned.
What public funds had he embezzled? At most, he had intercepted the seven hundred yuan the other party gave Xu De every month, keeping every cent for himself, but that was private money...
Wait.
In a daze, Sun Hao seemed to realize something. Astonishment filled his face as he looked up at the older man in disbelief.
Director Han said:
"You even dared to take the 2,100 yuan in public funds that the firm allocated to Lawyer Xu. Heh, knowingly breaking the law!"
"N-No..." Sun Hao still tried to struggle.
But Director Han clearly wasn''t giving him any chance to argue. He turned directly to the person behind him and ordered:
"Chief Zhang, suspend Sun Hao from all positions within the firm immediately."
"At the same time, draft an accountability contract and go to the court in the firm''s name..."
"File a lawsuit."
He paused, looking at the pale Sun Hao before adding coldly:
"Pursue both criminal and civil liability!!!"
As his words fell.
Sun Hao''s face turned deathly pale, completely drained of blood.
As for whether Xu De was angry and wanted revenge...
One could only say.
Xu De didn''t care.
...
Eight o''clock in the morning.
Inside the VIP reception room of a bank in Greenwood City.
Three men and one woman were seated inside.
"I never expected Lawyer Xu to take out a loan to open a law firm because of this."
Among them, a man sitting behind the desk looked at Xu De across from him, his face full of emotion.
He was the bank manager, Dong Jianxiao.
Yesterday afternoon, he received a call from Yang Guotao of the Justice Bureau, who personally acted as a middleman to introduce someone needing a loan.
To be honest, Dong Jianxiao hadn''t been thrilled.
In this day and age, loans granted due to ''connections'' were notoriously hard to recover, let alone interest-free ones. But when he found out who the borrower was... Dong Jianxiao immediately did a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.
"It''s like this, Lawyer Xu. According to procedure, we still need to review your plans for the law firm."
Dong Jianxiao looked at Xu De, restraining his urge to immediately try and curry favor, and began going through the standard procedures.
"Understood."
Xu De nodded, pulling out the business plan he had prepared in advance and handing it over.
Dong Jianxiao nodded and began to read it earnestly.
After a long while.
"Phew."
Dong Jianxiao let out a long breath. After pondering for a moment, he smiled.
"Lawyer Xu, you fully meet all the necessary requirements for the bank and local policies... You are eligible for an interest-free loan of... fifty thousand."
Fifty thousand?
Xu De raised an eyebrow. Fifty thousand in this era was vastly different from later years; there was so much that could be done with it.
He hadn''t expected Yang Guotao to act so quickly, sorting everything out for him overnight.
"Furthermore, since you are a premium client, Lawyer Xu, the limit can be raised further. I can personally authorize an increase to 120,000 for you."
Dong Jianxiao added.
For an ordinary person to get an interest-free loan of twenty thousand was unrealistic, but this man was different.
He was a lawyer, a lawyer who had already demonstrated top-tier abilities. He was the absolute definition of a premium client. The bank was eager to lend him money just to build a relationship, considering it a ''future investment.''
"If you have no objections... you can sign the contract. The loan will be deposited directly into your card afterward."
Dong Jianxiao pushed the contract in front of Xu De.
There were no hidden tricks in the contract, and the repayment period was within three years.
Xu De scanned it and confirmed there were no issues.
"Scratch."
Ink flowed as he signed his name on the contract. After putting down the pen, the two shook hands.
Before they left, as they stood at the bank''s entrance.
Dong Jianxiao handed his business card to Xu De.
"Lawyer Xu, it''s been a pleasure doing business. This is my card. Please look out for me if anything comes up in the future."
"Definitely."
Xu De took it and waved goodbye. Seeing this, Dong Jianxiao finally turned and left.
Watching this exchange.
Wang Chao, who had been lingering nearby, couldn''t help but say:
"Lawyer Xu, paying off 120,000 in three years... that''s 40,000 a year!"
Wang Chao was somewhat alarmed.
Forty thousand a year meant a monthly surplus of 3,300 yuan. Factoring in food, drinks, and other expenses, they would need at least 5,000 a month just to sustain operations and grow!
One had to realize, in this era, let alone 5,000, an ordinary person earning 500 a month was considered to be doing quite well...
"I am a lawyer," Xu De said, stopping in his tracks to look at him.
"Even for a lawyer, six thousand a month is tough," Wang Chao clicked his tongue.
Lawyers could make money easily, but the risks and rewards were proportional!
A single case could easily take months. If they lost, all their efforts would be wasted, and they might even operate at a loss for years. Furthermore, for some cases, the three-year repayment period might arrive before the case was even concluded...
But then again.
"What if I can take on any case, and I dare to take on any case?"
Xu De suddenly asked.
Wang Chao and Lin Yue froze.
His words clearly didn''t just mean he wasn''t ''picky.'' The emphasis was on ''dare to take on.''
Everyone knew that a lawyer''s earning potential was directly proportional to the difficulty of the case. Countless golden lawyers had made their names through a single major case.
But even among major cases... there were differences!
If Xu De really dared to accept cases that seemed like ''certain death'' and could even win them, then paying off 120,000 in three years... would be absolute child''s play!
It was just...
"Lawyer Xu, are you serious!?"
Wang Chao''s eyes widened slightly. He had originally thought Xu De might use the lingering prestige of the Wang Qiang case to develop slowly. He hadn''t expected him to aim for a major case the moment he opened his firm...
Xu De nodded, his expression calm.
He was bold, daring to do what ordinary people would not!
However...
Xu De paused, then frowned, saying in a deep voice:
"The only difficulty is... major cases are hard to come by."
Major cases were rare; there weren''t many across the whole country in a given year. The Lijia Village case involving Wang Qiang was a pure anomaly. It was hard to say when the next case of that magnitude would appear.
But these words.
Still made Wang Chao and Lin Yue halt in their tracks.
The two of them realized they seemed to have boarded a pirate ship... No, a Caribbean pirate ship.
Arrogant, far too arrogant. It was as if he were steering this pirate ship through the waters of the judiciary, ignoring all reefs and violently smashing through any enemies in his path!
But then again...
If a lawyer wasn''t arrogant, what kind of lawyer were they!?
Lin Yue suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken. His tone and expression were clearly calm...
Yet, he exuded an aura that viewed ''golden lawyers'' and ''major murder cases'' as nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up. After a moment of thought, she said:
"I believe you... but, Great Lawyer, shouldn''t we go fill our stomachs first?"
"My treat!"
The three of them laughed aloud, then strode outward.
And at the same time...
...
...
Morning, 8:30 a.m.
Greenwood City, Green Forest 18th Academy.
"Ring-ring-ring!"
The class bell rang, and students strolled back to their classrooms in twos and threes.
Right up until the moment class was about to begin, a seat in Senior Year Class 4 remained empty, until...
In a blur.
A figure appeared at the classroom door. Everyone inside looked up, their expressions gradually turning strange as they recognized her.
It was Yang Jiale, wearing a dowdy school uniform. Her pitch-black hair was soaked and plastered to her face, making it hard to make out her features.
Her jacket was completely drenched, giving off a stale, musty odor.
Feeling the gazes of everyone around her.
Yang Jiale lowered her head, her long hair obscuring her face, and walked back to her seat under their scrutiny.
"Sniff-sniff." Several students nearby sniffed the air, frowning with suspicious looks.
Yang Jiale buried her head even lower, shrinking into her seat and pulling out a textbook to hide herself.
Shortly after, the teacher entered the classroom. He glanced around at everyone and then began his lecture, ignoring everything else.
Yang Jiale didn''t dare to look up. Her gloomy hair covered her head; no one could see her expression or sense her emotions.
Until...
[''The Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court states...'']
Suddenly, a newspaper folded into a paper airplane landed on the floor. Seeing the words printed on it, Yang Jiale paused slightly.
It was the newspaper the school had mandated they subscribe to.
Yang Jiale stared at it, focusing on the words where the court emphasized ''justice.'' She stared for a long time, sitting as still as a block of wood.
She sat there so long that she didn''t even snap out of it when the teacher announced the end of class.
"Ding!"
The loudspeaker blared, finally bringing Yang Jiale back to her senses.
But she continued to stare blankly at the newspaper. After a long while...
Yang Jiale stood up. She walked out of the classroom and headed toward the administration building, soon pushing open an office door.
...
Noon, 11:40.
As the bell rang for the final class of the morning.
Yang Jiale stood up, preparing to head to the cafeteria. However, just as she stepped out of the classroom...
Three figures suddenly appeared in front of her.
The three girls wore unkind expressions. The one leading them had a look of cruel amusement on her face. With a wave of her hand, the other two grabbed Yang Jiale and dragged her toward a deserted stairwell, pulling her up toward the rooftop.
"What are you doing!?"
Yang Jiale struggled fiercely. The group stopped in their tracks.
The lead girl turned her head, disdain written across her face. She looked Yang Jiale up and down, then sneered mockingly:
"So, you were the one who went to the office looking for Lü Guangjun, right?"
Suddenly.
Yang Jiale looked at her in disbelief, her face filled with astonishment.
How did she... know?
The next second, the amusement on the girl''s face twisted into something hideous, revealing a viciousness that didn''t seem to belong to her.
"Slut!"